1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to closure means for containers in which the closure is constructed to breakaway so that tampering with the container or its contents is evident.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The dispensing container art with reclosable closures is generally represented by the combination with an open ended container having a top end closure consisting of a stationary cap forming a base for a rotatable closure disc or rotor. The cap or base is provided with a punch-out tab that closes the dispensing opening until the contents are to be dispensed. The provision of punch-out tabs may take various forms, depending on the character of the contents. The rotor or reclosable disc is operatively attached to the cap or base, and is formed with a blank wall portion which serves to cover the punch-out tab opening when dispensing is not desired. At other times the rotor can be turned to align its preformed aperture or apertures with the base opening. The aperture may be a single hole, a plurality of holes of the same or different diameters, or an enlarged slot or spoon opening. Examples of the foregoing prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,580, 3,881,639, 2,961,113, 3,912,128 and 4,489,864.
The problem with the foregoing examples of the prior art is that none has any way of effectively protecting against tampering with the container tops to contaminate the contents, or of making it visibly evident that the container closure has been tampered with. Tampering is hidden or not made apparent by partially breaking a margin of a punch-out tab or by lifting a rotor to unsnap its center boss to gain access through the boss receiving hole before snapping the cover back in place to conceal the tampering. The foregoing tampering problem has not been overcome in a satisfactory manner as applied to the types of molded plastic caps and rotors now available where a rotor might accidently breakaway and still be capable of concealing tampering.